Trash Free Lunch - Alice Ferguson Foundation

Trash Free Lunch

Trash Timeline

Students will use common items found during cleanups to create a visual timeline depicting the rate of biodegradation if these articles of trash were left in our environment.

Lesson Characteristics: Use the table below for lesson planning purposes:

Grade

5th ? 12th grade

Time Required

30 minutes

Key Science Practices Observation skills, constructing explanations, asking questions

Key Concepts/Terms Decomposition, biodegradation, watersheds, litter, human impact

Setting

Classroom or outdoors.

Materials

Trash Timeline (plastic bottle, glass bottle, aluminum can, tin can, Styrofoam, newspapers, paper towel, cloth, fishing line, plastic bag, cardboard)

Next Generation Science Standards:

Science and Engineering Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting Concepts Practices

Asking Questions and Defining Problems

ESS2.C The Roles of Water in Earth's Surface Processes

Patterns

Constructing Explanations ESS3.c Human Impacts on Cause and Effect and Designing Solutions Earth Systems

Learning Objectives Students will... Learn about trash and its impacts on the environment How trash ends up in our environment How is this linked to a watershed, what is a watershed?

Alice Ferguson Foundation



Line up trash from the least amount of time to break down to the most amount of time to breakdown

Preparation: Gather the supplies needed to complete the task - Plastic bottle, glass bottle, paper towel, aluminum can, tin can, Styrofoam, newspapers, cloth, fishing line, plastic bag, cardboard. Alternatively, students could make a list of these items and sort them when prompted in the video.

Background Information:

Vocabulary: Term

Definition

Watershed

An area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different streams, rivers, lakes, or oceans.

Decomposition To break down

Biodegradable To break down naturally

Procedure: Follow the steps in the table below to conduct the activity. Sentences in bold are suggestions for what an educator might say to students. Items in italics are possible student answers to questions.

Alice Ferguson Foundation



Step

Action

5E's: Engage

Learning Cycle: Invitation

1

Use the following discussion questions prior to having students watch the video:

What is a watershed? What watershed do we live in?

Have you seen trash on the ground or in a waterway?

How does trash get into our environment?

How does trash end up in our waterways?

What happens to the trash when it just sits in the water or along a shoreline?

What does decompose mean? What does biodegradation mean?

5 E's: Explore

Learning Cycle: Exploration

2

Have students watch the AFF video on Trash Free Lunch.

5 E's: Explain

Learning Cycle: Concept Invention

3

Review the timeline presented in the video. What types of materials will break down

the fastest? What types of materials will take the longest to break down?

5 E's: Elaborate

Learning Cycle: Application

4 What can we do to prevent trash from entering our environment? What

alternatives could we use instead of plastic?

5 E's: Evaluate

Learning Cycle: Reflection

5

What did you learn from this lesson? Have students complete the worksheet.

Alice Ferguson Foundation



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